How far apart are your outlets??

[Matthew Curtis]

I am building a new shop and am wondering how far apart are you outlets.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Matthew,

My 110 outlets are about 4 feet apart and every other box is on the same circuit while no 2 consecutive boxes are on the same circuit.

In otherwords, I have 4 110 circuits. 2 circuits cover 1/2 of my north wall..the east wall and 1/2 of the south wall.

2 circuits cover the other 1/2 of the north and south walls and the west wall.

My interior lights in the shop are on 2 separate circuits so if one fails, the other one should stil be on. This is just in case a ballast should short out.

[Matt Meiser]

~8' because they were mounted to the poles in my pole barn when I moved in. I kept them but moved/expanded when I finished the interior. Each wall is a circuit, each location has 4 receptacles. Its never caused me a problem in the 7 years I've been here other than wherever my cordless charging station has been over the years, I've always needed more so I've just used a power strip since those are fairly low-power anyway.

I did the same as Ken with the lights, but I made a mistake in that I did one side on the first circuit, and the other side on the other circuit. I should have alternated somehow so I could turn on half for basic lighting.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I will restate my lighting circuits.

I have 4 switches that control the lights in my shop.

They are on 2 circuitbreakers so that if 1 breaker trips...the other on should remain on.

I have a 3rd lighting circuit breaker that controls exterior lighting and a separate switch for that. All of my exterior lighting is motion sensed and activated. Thus, I don't worry about turning that one switch on and off. In the evening going to my detached shop, the lights come on as I approach it.

[David Hostetler]

I voted for < 8 feet mostly because there is no N/A option available... My shop presently has a single wall outlet, extension cords that pull power from the utility room, and ceiling power on a separate circuit that ONLY powers lighting and the air cleaner.

My planned outlet arrangement is going to be outlets every 4 feet along the west and north walls. One outlet between the overhead doors, 2 outlets 4' apart on the east wall.

[Matt Meiser]

I did 2 circuits/cb's but only one switch on each (I used the of the 20A commercial ones.)

Consider an emergency light anyway. The shop is a dangerous place if the power goes out at night. The one I got at one of the big boxes just plugs in. I've only had it happen once, but that made it worth the cost.

[glenn bradley]

I said 4 to 6 feet but there are locations where the 120v and 240v outlets alternate. On that decision I can only say this:

I put in more electrical that I could ever, ever use.

I added to that within a year.

I added to that jest a few months ago and expect to add again soon.

All outlets are about 50" from the floor.

I feel it is more important to leave yourself an easy growth capability than to try to guess, today, where you will be next year. Two of my overhead light circuits are on the sub-panel with all the other "shop" stuff. One light circuit runs off the house mains. That way, even if I blow the sub-panel, I'm not in the dark. The non sub-panel light circuit works off the switch I flip as I enter the shop so it is almost always on. Learn from others mistakes; its less painful ;-)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Matthew,

I also put my outlets 52" above the finished floor height. Thus, I can stand sheet goods along the wall without covering the outlets. That also places them above the standard bench height.

[Bill Davis]

Close enough so my little white five foot Walmart extension cord can always reach one.

[Paul McGaha]

My shop is a 2 car garage, about 20' x 20'.

My receptacles are more laid out based on the specific tool locations plus some at the workbench and miter station.

I put a sub panel in, Thats very handy. I would advise that for any shop.

My lighting (Some ceiling mounted flourescent strips) are fed from the existing lighting circuit from the panel that serves the rest of the house.

The shop wiring is all in EMT which is to me the best wiring methed for exposed work.

PHM

[Jim Eller]

Mine are each 4' apart and all are the quad variety(4 outlets). Each wall is on a separate 20 amp circuit(12 ga wire) and each has a GFI in line.

Works ok so far.

Jim

[Steve Peterson]

And every other outlet is on a second line. This allows me to balance the load between both legs of the 240V line going to the subpanel.

If I did it again, I would probably space them every 48".

Steve

[Mike Cruz]

Every four feet there is a 2 gang (four plugs) 110 outlet, except for against the wall where my wood storage is. 220 was placed in areas where I knew I wanted machines. 10 of those.

[Ben Franz]

Like Ken and Mike - I have double receptacles every 4 feet, alternating circuits along each wall, 4 20A breakers total. It's still a garage so every circuit has a GFCI device as the first receptacle. Spent a little more at an elec. supply for quality plugs and switches. Six 240V outlets counting compressor, dust collector and PTHP/PTAC; some lighting and misc. and still a couple of spots in the 100A subpanel.

[Thom Porterfield]

Mine are no closer to one another than 4'.
I consider this an error in design.

My fault: I designed my shop.

If I were to do it over, I would install a raceway about 18" above the floor along all the walls so that I could put a receptacle wherever I needed one. Why 18"? Because it's convenient for free-standing machines, like band saws, and it's easy enough to put in a riser to bring a receptacle to above workbench height.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I'm putting 110 every 4' on each wall - one row is 44" off the floor to the bottom of the boxes, one row is 18" off the floor to the bottom of the boxex. Two circuits per wall.

I'm also running 220 on three walls - one circuit per wall three boxes ~ 6' apart 18" off the floor, two boxes ~ 8' apart 44" off the floor. Three of the walls are done. Now that I've read Ken's post, I'll probably move to 52" height on the 4th wall. Fortunately that is the wall next to the overhead door and is where I'm planning the sheet good rack to go anyway - so the 44" height on the other walls is high enough to clear any benches that will go against those walls. I've placed three seperate circuits in my ceiling - all switched with boxes every 4'. Currently hanging four, 2 bulb flourescent lights in this 20 x 20 finished area.

I think I've gone a bit overboard, but I've read you can never have too many outlets in a shop.

Eventually I want to put a raised floor over the concrete slab. If I do that, I plan on running a couple of outlets in the floor as well - both 220 and 110.

[Eric Kipker]

Every other stud 2 with 2 alternate circuits 20 amps each on every other receptacle. Lights have one switch on a separate circuit. 20 amp power cord on reel hanging from the ceiling. Compressor and air filter box are on a separate circuit controlled with 2 3-way switches, one in the garage and one in the basement workshop. Air chucks are on 6 ft apart. Dust collector has automatic pneumatic gates. Dust collector is still on wireless remote so far.

[Kirk Poore]

I put them 5-6 feet apart, in clusters of 4 120V (including GFCI), 1 240V, 1 240V 3ph, about 4-1/2 feet off the floor. I don't have any counter or bench space along the walls, so there's no spot where I use a whole bunch of 120V power tools. I run them off of extension cords in the middle of the shop. (I probably should put a power strip on each workbench, I guess.)

Unlike everyone else it seems, I deliberately put each wall on a single 120V circuit, NOT alternating. The electrician wanted to alternate, but I told him no. The reason is that if I have a failure, I want to be able to diagnose and fix it easily, not be stuck figuring out which outlets are on which circuits. I did this after my house had a lightning strike and I had to replace several outlets. It was a major PITA to figure out which outlets were on which breakers.

Similarly, my 240V circuits have two or three adjacent outlets each. My subpanel breakers are marked by the wall location (west, north, etc.)

Kirk

[Bob Riefer]

On each plate cover, I used a sharpie marker to indicate which breaker that recept or switch was on. My electrician friend cringed and called that a newbie move. Every time I need to cut power to an outlet, and it takes me 4 seconds to figure it out, I smile.

Anyways, to answer the question... In my two spaces which are each about 12x18, I basically did an outlet near each corner, in the center of each wall, and one in the center of the ceiling. And then in a few instances, I ran one to a specific location as needed (like dedicated receptacle for DC.. or 220 for table saw). Plan to hang retractable extension cords from the ceiling outlets - if I go with a nice 25 footer, I should be covered.

edit: however, I'm positive that as soon as I finish installing my osb wall covering this weekend, and thus make adding additional receptacles more difficult to do, I will need at least a dozen more boxes around the room. Then again, that's one of my arguments for using OSB and screws rather than drywall as a wall covering - easy to pull down and put back up if the need arises.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

The primary area of my basement shop 20'x30' has four strategically placed quad outlets two of them a 220 capacity and the other two are 110. Each run is on a separate circuit. There is an area of the shop where I would be 10-12' from a receptacle, but this area is mostly between my dedicated outfeed table and a wall or behind the dust collector. It's never been a problem. I also have dedicated ceiling mounted drops for the table saw 230 and jointer 240--each on dedicated circuits. Lighting is all on a separate circuit. While I have had to employ the occasional extension cord for my portable compressor, I am never at a loss for outlets or power. Running one major tool, dust collection, lights, radio, assorted cordless tool changers and a dehumidifier is my typical heavy load.

[John Gregory]

While you are designing your shop, think of this http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xi4/R-100072828/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 ( no connection with Home depot)

I put one in my shop in case the power went out. That way I can get out of my crowed shop safely.
I installed 4 sky lights and only one window. Wall space is so needed in a shop.

[Jeff Heil]

I will confess my circuits are also all labeled with a label maker to show which breaker they are on. Glad I did it. I did alternating circuits on each wall, plus dedicated 110 for the air compressor and a D/C. Also did mine 52" off the floor to avoid bending down and to make it easier to put a full sheet of drywall on the bottom of the wall.

[Brian Yates]

I have my boxes mounted about 6 feet apart, but last spring I got a 40 ft 12gauge retractable extension cord from Grizzly and use it more than the wall outlets for anything portable.

It definitely makes it easier to get power to where I want it, rather than moving things around to get my work piece near an outlet.

[Rod Sheridan]

I have four 4" square boxes spaced approximately 4 to 5 feet apart.

Each box contains a duplex 240V receptacle, and a duplex 120V receptacle, wired as a multi-wire branch circuit from a single 2 pole breaker.

I also have one separate circuit for lighting, and one 240V circuit for my cyclone.

regards, Rod.

[Jim Laumann]

On each plate cover, I used a sharpie marker to indicate which breaker that recept or switch was on. My electrician friend cringed and called that a newbie move. Every time I need to cut power to an outlet, and it takes me 4 seconds to figure it out, I smile.



Interesting....that step was recommended to me by my electrician (friend from church - a master electrician - moonlighting from his day job as a windmill technician). Wayne is laying out and running all the EMT for me.
I will pull the wire and do the box hook up.

All of my wiring will be in .5" EMT, w/ boxes (4 plex) 4-6' apart - GFCI's as needed. Dedicated circuts for the air compressor and wire feed welder. Lights (3 rows) will be on seperate circuts.

No 220V to start - but will likely be adding them later - will convert existing motors from 110 to 220 and add tools.


Jim

[Donny Lawson]

How many outlets are in your shop? 110/220??

[Chris Hartman]

I have quad boxes (two sets of two outlets) every 4 feet, two circuits to each box, about 4 1/2 feet off the floor. I used black receptacles for one circuit and white for the other, so no need for labeling. (In the circuit box it says "N. Wall, black", etc.) I also ran conduit under the floor to a short (18" or so) post in the middle of the room for the table saw. It has the 220 circuit and a 110.